Abstract

The susceptibility of several strains of inbred mice to infection with the filarial worm Brugia pahangi has been examined. BALB/C, C57BL/10, C3H/He, 101, CBA/Ca mice, congenitally asplenic (DH/+) mice and their normal litter-mates (+/+) were each challenged by the intraperitoneal inoculation of 50 infective larvae. During the first four weeks of infection high (19-42%) larval recoveries were obtained from the CBA/Ca, BALB/C and Dh/+ mice but fewer than 10% of inoculated larvae were recovered from C3H/He, 101; C57BL/10 and +/+ mice. Larval growth rates in all mice were similar. BALB/C and Dh/+ mice only were examined later than four weeks after infection. The yield of adult worms from BALB/C was 7.5% at 16 weeks and from Dh/+ 4.2% at 21 weeks. Microfilariae were present in the peritoneal fluids but not the blood of some mice harbouring both adult male and female worms.